In review of 1 Corinthians 6:20, it says, ”Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? . . . So let people see God in and through your body” (The Message).
Today's passage comes from the last part of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. It explains how I should treat my body and my life. I should honor God with what I do and how I handle what he has given me. In particular I should not pollute it with sexual sin and other things that are not good for it. God has bought me at a great price. Given this, I should use every part of my body to give glory and honor back to God.
It can be easy to misapply the words "I am allowed to do anything" (verse 6:12). I can't excuse my sins by saying that (1) Christ had taken away all sin, and so I have complete freedom to live as I please, or (2) what I may do is not strictly forbidden by Scripture. Paul however counters with (1) while Christ has taken away my sin, this does not give me freedom to keep on doing what I know is wrong. (2) Some actions are not sinful in themselves, but they are not appropriate because they can control my life and lead me away from God. (3) Some actions may hurt others. Anything I do that hurts rather than helps is not right.
Just as the spirit affects my body, so my body affects my spirit. I cannot commit sin with my body without damaging my soul because my body and soul are inseparably joined. Freedom is the mark of faith in Christ. It is freedom from sin and guilt, and freedom to use and enjoy anything that comes from God. However I should not abuse this freedom and hurt myself or others. Sexual immorality is a temptation that is always before us. In media, sex outside of marriage is treated as normal, even desirable, part of life, while marriage is often shown as confining and joyless.
I am free to be all I can be for God, but not free from God. I really do not have the right to do whatever I want with my own body. When I committed my life to Christ, the Holy Spirit came to live in me. Therefore, I no longer own my body. I was bought at a high price. Christ's death frees me from sin but also obligate me to his service. If I was to live in a building owned by someone else, I try not to violate the buildings rules. Because my body belongs to God, I must not violate his standards for living.
There’s an amazing paradox to God’s grace. It’s absolutely free to all who come to Jesus in faith. Yet the grace of God is the costliest gift we’ll ever receive. It cost God’s Son his life.
So in light of what Jesus has done for me, My response should be gratitude. One way show this to God is by making my life count.
I can’t really understand the grace of God and the price he paid to make it available to you while living how I want to live, ignoring the commands of Jesus, or wasting my life on things that don’t matter. The Bible says it this way: “Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? . . . So let people see God in and through your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20 The Message).
Because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, I was spared for a reason: to make a difference with my life. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so I could go on living any way I like. He made me for a purpose, and he redeemed me for a purpose, too. He wants me to fulfill that purpose.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (NIV). I was given spiritual gifts, abilities, education, and relationships for a reason, to help others and tell them about Jesus.
God saved me so he can use me.
Bottom Line:
God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
What this means to me:
God has paid a high price for me. As such, I should freely offer my body and honor God with what I do with it.
In summary, I should honor God with what I do and how I handle what he has given me. This means that I shouldn't pollute it with things that are not good for me. God paid a great price for me. In gratitude for what he has done, my response should be to make the life he gave me count. He redeemed me for a purpose. He save me so that he can use me.
In my commute this morning I decided to listen to a podcast from Andy Stanley leadership series. The topic was the first of a two part episode on “Accelerating Culture” in which he spoke with Dave Katz, the CFO of Coca-Cola Consolidated. In it they were reviewing Dave’s company mission statement which started off by; Honoring God, Serving Others, Striving for Excellence and being profitable. This made me think about the notion of honoring God with my life. I even considered adjusting my personal mission statement to honor God with my life. This would my my mission statement to: “Honor God with all I do, live with integrity and to make a difference in the lives of others.” This ties in with the values I’ve also adopted of Integrity, Humility, Generosity and Purpose. This coupled with this morning’s verse ties very well into God’s reminder for me.
This morning Father I pray that I can become a person who uses my life to honor you, to make a difference in the lives of others. As such I pray again today for wisdom and guidance in how I handle myself and the tasks in front of me. Help me to lead others. Help me respond rightly and not be defensive. My job is a service to others and I must keep this in mind. I pray these things in your Son Jesus name, Amen!
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